Simbu
Devan carved a unique niche for himself in Imsai Arasan
and Arai En and he is back with the cowboy caper Irumbu
Kottai Murattu Singam. The movie is ready for release
and he spoke to behindwoods.com about it.

A
brief introduction...

Hi, this is director Simbu
Devan. My third film Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam
will be releasing soon. I am meeting you all
after Imsai Arasan and Arai En 301il Kadavul.
I am sure this would be a totally different
experience for all of you. After a long gap,
you will be watching a full-length cowboy film.
We have done an extensive research on this subject.
I have structured the story to be in 18th century,
which is based on the true cowboys in Italy,
their life-style and settlements. IKMS will
not only be a cowboy film but also a cowboy
comedy film.

IKMS will not only be a

cowboy film but also a

cowboy comedy film

About the cast

There is perfect premise for the story line and artistes.
In addition to Raghava Lawrence, Lakshmi Rai, Padma
Priya and Sandhya, there is a lengthy list of star
cast comprising of M S Bhaskar, Ilavarasu, Ramesh
Kanna, Vyapuri, Mouli, Delhi Ganesh, Manorama and
V S Raghavan. There is a story that justifies the
star cast. In a colony of Red Indians, there is a
different language is spoken which we have showcased
in the film.

Experience shooting
IKMS

Although there were difficulties filming this movie,
it was a different experience for all of us. In the
film, 85-90% is only set work. It was neither completely
Indianized nor completely westernized but a blend
of both.

Where have you
shot?

The movie required a lot of travel and was shot in
Palakkad, Ambasamudram, Pondycherry, Andhra Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Pune etc. We had attempted and erected
a huge Irumbu Kottai set in all these places. A 350-feet
high statue was also erected. I want the audience
to feel the different experience that we had felt
while shooting this film. It would definitely be a
family entertainer. Please do watch this film.

Cowboy culture always

appeals to everyone

About
cowboy theme?

Cowboy culture has been there with us for quite
some time. Although there are many cultures prevailing
in the world, cowboy culture always appeals to
everyone. We have many such films in the black
and white era, some Telugu films and the Hindi
film Sholay, which is a semi cowboy film. Although
this theme has not been handled in films for a
long time, the cowboy culture is not something
new to people.

Why Raghava
Lawrence?

The very mention of cowboy reminds us of style and
Raghava Lawrence’s contribution is unusual and
stylish with his dance choreographic background. His
shooting scenes in the film may appear to be graphic-aided
but it is not so. He throws the gun from right to
left hand and then shoots. He has achieved this skill
after months of rigorous practice. I chose Lawrence
because I wanted someone from among us and at the
same time should possess some style.

Is
IKMS, a different genre from your previous films?

Although the premise is different,
there would be humor in it. IKMS is an adventure
comedy.

IKMS is an

adventure comedy.

Did you have
risky action sequences in IKMS?

It is true that the premise of the story in IKMS took
us in different directions. I am not able to say whether
we had difficulty shooting the film because we were
used to the situation and were quite happy. Perhaps
we were suffering but did not have the maturity to
feel it. As regards fight sequences, since it was
stylish fights, we did not face big risks. However,
the climax fight sequence, which was choreographed
by stunt master Selva, has come out excellently.

Music and lyrics?

Music has been scored by G V Prakash and Vairamuthu
has penned all the songs. It would be an unusual contribution
as this is a cowboy film. G V Prakash has taken pains
to score the cowboy theme music and war theme music.
I am sure it would be an interesting experience.

About M S Bhaskar’s
special language

There is a segment of Red Indians in this film. We
felt that they should have an exclusive language.
Hence I wrote some kind of language resembling Cantonese
and Turkish in the script. But when I went to the
shooting spot, M S Bhaskar, who features as the Red
Indian Chief, improvised this language brilliantly.
He is basically a dubbing artiste and his skills further
strengthened the language. He has done an excellent
job and I am sure this will be lapped up by the children
in a great scale.

On the research
for IKMS

When we decided to make cowboy the theme in IKMS,
we met Karnan from the black and white films era who
gave me many useful tips. He also felt that it is
a huge thing that we are involved in making a comedy
cowboy film and wished us. We were much energized
by his feedback. We also referred to many books in
library and took notes from the net. We researched
on the origin of cowboys, their culture, and their
spread across places and adapted these features to
suit Indian, more so the Tamil culture. This cowboy
is a never-before-seen in Indian screen and we have
worked hard for this.

Costume designer?

Sai is the costume designer for IKMS. His work will
be different. Each artiste has different dress, cap
and a coat. You will sense a unique hue and Sai is
responsible for it.